Troubleshooting

Experiencing a problem with MyWARN? This information will help you work through problems you might be having:

How do I know that MyWARN is working?
Test MyWARN at any time by clicking on settings at the bottom of any MyWARN screen. In the upper right hand corner of the screen on the right side of the MyWARN banner, you will see the test button (the icon is an arrow coming out of a rectangle). When you select test, the system will create an imaginary polygon that surrounds your precise location. It will then send a test. Your device should then show a *Test* notification box and sound the warning sound for 5 seconds. If you do not receive it, it is generally because you do not have notifications turned on in the app. Go to the Settings page and make sure that the Notifications setting is ON.

My Weatheradio and the outdoor sirens are going off, but MyWARN is not doing anything. What is wrong?
The National Weather Service issues very precise tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings. They are drawn as polygons that target just the area that the severe weather is going to affect. These polygons are about 464 square miles on average. A typical county may cover over 1,000 square miles. But older dissemination systems can only warn entire counties. This results in a tremendous number of people being overwarned by outdoor sirens, weatheradios, non-GPS apps and wall to wall television coverage. MyWARN will only warn you if you are absolutely INSIDE the warning polygon. Not a mile away, not a block away, not even 100 feet away. The next update in late June will allow you be see nearby warnings, but MyWARN will never bother you UNTIL you need to act.

I am not receiving notifications, even though the alerts are lighting up on my dashboard.
In the iPhone general settings, you will see Notifications. Click that and scroll down to the MyWARN Notifications settings. Make sure Notification center is turned ON. We recommend that you set Alert Style to Banners or even better, Alerts because they will stay on the screen instead of disappearing. Make sure sounds are turned on so that you can hear the sounds. It will show the notification whether the sounds are turned on or not, but it is a good idea to test the sound as well. Next, in the iPhone general settings, you will see Location Services. Make sure that is on. Click Location Services and scroll down to the MyWARN settings. Make sure that the Location Services for MyWARN are on as well.

The test message will generate whether or not you have the Notifications in the MyWARN settings turned on or not. But now is a good time to check to make sure you have notifications turned on. Open MyWARN, click Settings, and make sure Notifications is turned on. You can also check the sound here. If any of the notification settings are turned off, you won’t receive notifications, and that’s the point of the app! Same with sounds. If any of the sound settings are turned off, including the iPhone’s hardware switch, you won’t receive sounds. After checking these settings, now run the test. If you receive it,
hooray!

If you don’t, make sure the device knows your location correctly. The precision that your iPhone uses to update the MyWARN servers when you change locations is controlled by the Precision settings in the MyWARN settings. If it is turned OFF, it only updates your location when you move around 3,000 feet. This is to conserve battery life. It works well when you are stationary for awhile, or when you are mobile and aren’t charging your device. MyWARN gives you the option to update your location anytime when Precision is turned off. This is helpful just to make sure the server knows where you are. You can do it anytime you move. Lastly, sometimes Wifi systems block the Apple Notification System messages. If you are having trouble receiving the test while on Wifi, switch it off and use the cellular network. See if that works.

If none of that works, send us a support email from the device. In the MyWARN app, click the More button at the bottom of any screen on the app. Then click Support. This will open an email template addressed to our support team.

The television shows my county being under a flash flood watch, but MyWARN doesn’t show it. Why?
The National Weather Service often issues flash flood and flood watches that start in the future. MyWARN does not alert you when the watch is issued, it notifies you when the watch officially goes into effect. The goal at MyWARN is to only alert you when you need to be alerted. It will take some getting used to, since legacy warning systems have been overwarning us for ages.

The dashboard screen showed an alert that had expired.
When the dashboard screen first opens, it contains the information from the last time you had it open. IT can take a few seconds for its to refresh the screen. While it is doing this, you will see the network activity icon spinning in the task bar at the top of the iPhone screen. Be patient and wait for it to finish for a complete picture of the alerts for your location at that moment.

I purchased MyWARN and installed it on my iPhone. I open the app and see the dashboard, but none of the alert buttons are lit. Why isn’t it working?
The buttons on the dashboard are active when there is a risk, watch or warning in your location for a flood, severe thunderstorm or tornado. The buttons will then turn green, yellow, orange or red. If the buttons are not illuminated, then currently, there is not a risk, watch or warning active at your location.

Can I turn of the location services if I need to conserve battery?
Use the Precision switch in the MyWARN app settings to turn off location services. It works well when you are stationary for awhile, or when you are mobile and aren’t charging your device. MyWARN gives you the option to update your location anytime when Precision is turned off. This is helpful just to make sure the server knows where you are. You can do it anytime you move.

I exited program before approving the license agreement after I purchased MyWARN, how do I fix this?
If you see a black screen when you launch MyWARN. Try taking MyWARN out of your device’s memory and start again. To take it out of memory, you can either restart your device by holding down the power button until you see “slide to power off” which you would do and then power back on -OR- you can double tap your “Home” button which should show a list of applications in memory along the bottom of the screen. Find the MyWARN icon, hold down the icon with your finger until a red and white minus sign shows on the upper left corner of the icon and then tap the minus sign. With either method, launch MyWARN after performing and it should show you the license agreement screen. Approve the license agreement and your MyWARN should work.

I receive the alerts on the screen or notifications bar, but when I go to the Dashboard, it does not refresh.
If you have an Android device, MyWARN has to employ a refresh delay because the operating system constantly pings the server, draining your battery and overloading resources. Wait a moment and try again.